The Digital Market is Reshaping Consumerism

The Digital Market is Reshaping Consumerism

The internet is changing the way we interact with brands. Long gone are the days of the door-to-door salesman, as consumers make informed purchases on the internet and have them shipped with the click of a button. Instead of a sales pitch, digital marketers must create engaging content that holds attention spans long enough to advertise a product and secure a buyer. Instead of contacting companies by phone with questions or orders, consumers read online reviews by other consumers and place instant orders based off that information. In today’s age, the act of buying has become much more personalized, and it has the internet to thank.

We are all familiar with online retailers such as Amazon and Overstock.com, but what about delivery apps that allow you to place orders straight from your phone? These apps allow individuals to place their orders and have the product in their hands in minutes. Postmates, a logistics company that operates through a network of local couriers, is a mobile app that delivers everything from restaurant meals to phone chargers to pet food – all within minutes. Whether day or night, a user places their order, a courier accepts the request, and the item is delivered in anywhere between 15 to 45 minutes. It takes convenience to new levels.

Capitalizing off people’s desire for ease and comfort, McDonald’s announced a partnership with UberEats, a competitor of Postmates, in 2017. McDonald’s CFO, Kevin Ozan, states, “We’re seeing it appeal to younger consumers and in college towns.” Referring to the 60 percent of evening and nighttime orders, “They tend to be group orders, so the average delivery check is about twice the average restaurant check.” This means the burger giant is utilizing technology and the web to expand the company and the billions that it already nets (an estimated $100 billion, to be exact). As if that wasn’t enough, they are currently working on value meal bundles to appeal to those groups that order in bulk. However, the restaurant chain still employs traditional media to advertise its service. McDonald’s currently runs a campaign that includes billboards and specially branded delivery packaging to market the partnership.

Mobiles apps such as UberEats and Postmates market heavily through social media, as millennials are typically the target audience of digital services. One PR stunt, orchestrated by Postmates and a pop star by the stage moniker Post Malone, involved Malone Postmating 10,000 Popeye’s biscuits to a party at Coachella (one of the biggest music festivals in the country). Tweets and videos of the campaign went viral before Postmates had the chance to send deliverables to its press partners.

Apps such as Postmates and the collaboration between McDonald’s and UberEats are just a drop in the bucket when it pertains to the ever-evolving world of digital marketing. There are countless companies that thrive due to dedicated utilization of the internet. Business models that are designed to function in the online sphere continuously prove their worth in the realms of professional innovation and economic stimulation. When successful digital marketing is paired with traditional advertising, there are few heights a brand can’t reach.